Collect Cisco switch logs

Parser Version: 27.0

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

This document explains how to ingest Cisco switch logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Cisco switches generate syslog messages for port state changes, spanning tree events, ACL matches, authentication, and system operations. The parser extracts fields using grok patterns and maps them to the Unified Data Model (UDM).

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

A Google SecOps instance
Windows Server 2016 or later, or Linux host with systemd
Network connectivity between the Bindplane agent and the Cisco switch
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
Privileged access to the Cisco switch CLI

Get Google SecOps credentials for the Bindplane agent

To authenticate the Bindplane agent to Google SecOps, choose one of the following methods:

New deployments: Use the Chronicle API (Option 1).
Legacy deployments: Continue using the ingestion authentication file (Option 2) until the Ingestion API is discontinued on July 20, 2027.

Option 1: Create a service account for the Chronicle API (recommended)

Sign in to the Google Cloud console and select the Google Cloud project that is linked to your Google SecOps instance.
Go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
Click Create service account.
Provide the following configuration details:
- Service account name: Enter a name for the account (for example, bindplane-ingest).
- Service account description: Enter a description (for example, Bindplane agent log ingestion).
Click Create and continue.
In the Grant this service account access to project section, click Select a role and select Chronicle Editor.
Click Continue, and then click Done.
Click the service account you created, and then go to the Keys tab.
Click Add key > Create new key.
Select JSON and click Create. The key file is downloaded to your computer.
Save the key file as ingestion-auth.json in the Bindplane collector directory (/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json on Linux or C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json on Windows), or update creds_file_path in config.yaml to match the path where you save it.
Go to IAM & Admin > Settings and copy the Project number. You'll need it for the exporter configuration.

Option 2: Download the ingestion authentication file (legacy)

Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
Go to SIEM Settings > Collection Agents.
Download the ingestion authentication file.
Save the file securely on the system where the Bindplane agent will be installed.

Get Google SecOps customer ID

Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
Go to SIEM Settings > Profile.
Copy and save the Customer ID from the Organization Details section.

Note: The customer ID is required for configuring the Bindplane agent exporter.

Install the Bindplane agent

Install the Bindplane agent on your Windows or Linux operating system according to the following instructions.

Windows installation

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator.

Run the following command:

msiexec /i "https://github.com/observIQ/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/observiq-otel-collector.msi" /quiet

Wait for the installation to complete.
Verify the installation by running:
```
sc query observiq-otel-collector
```
The service should show as RUNNING.

Linux installation

Open a terminal with root or sudo privileges.

Run the following command:

sudo sh -c "$(curl -fsSlL https://github.com/observiq/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/install_unix.sh)" install_unix.sh

Wait for the installation to complete.
Verify the installation by running:
```
sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector
```
The service should show as active (running).

Additional installation resources

For additional installation options and troubleshooting, see Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure the Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

Linux:

sudo nano /opt/observiq-otel-collector/config.yaml

Windows:

notepad "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\config.yaml"

Edit the configuration file

Replace the entire contents of config.yaml with the following configuration:

receivers:
  udplog:
    listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"

exporters:
  chronicle/cisco_switch:
    protocol: https
    # Region of your instance, for example us, europe, asia-southeast1
    location: <LOCATION>
    # Project number of the Google Cloud project linked to the instance
    project: '<PROJECT_NUMBER>'
    compression: gzip
    creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
    customer_id: '<customer_id>'
    endpoint: chronicle.googleapis.com
    log_type: CISCO_SWITCH
    raw_log_field: body

service:
  pipelines:
    logs/cisco_switch_to_chronicle:
      receivers:
        - udplog
      exporters:
        - chronicle/cisco_switch

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

Receiver configuration:
- listen_address: IP address and port to listen on:
  - 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces (recommended)
  - Port 514 is the standard syslog port (requires root on Linux; use 1514 for non-root)
Exporter configuration:
- creds_file_path: Full path to the service account JSON key file (Option 1):
  - Linux: /opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json
  - Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
- customer_id: Customer ID copied from the Google SecOps console
- location: Replace <LOCATION> with the region of your Google SecOps instance (for example, us, europe, or asia-southeast1). The exporter prefixes chronicle.googleapis.com with this value. See Regional Endpoints for the complete list.
- project: Replace <PROJECT_NUMBER> with the project number from IAM & Admin > Settings.
- endpoint: Keep set to chronicle.googleapis.com.

Legacy ingestion API exporter

If you use the ingestion authentication file from Option 2, replace the exporters block with the following. Set creds_file_path to the path to the ingestion authentication file, and if your instance is outside the US, replace malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com with your regional endpoint (for example, europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com).
```
exporters:
  chronicle/cisco_switch:
    compression: gzip
    creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
    customer_id: '<customer_id>'
    endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
    log_type: CISCO_SWITCH
    raw_log_field: body
```

Save the configuration file

After editing, save the file:
- Linux: Press Ctrl+O, then Enter, then Ctrl+X
- Windows: Click File > Save

Restart the Bindplane agent to apply the changes

To restart the Bindplane agent in Linux, run the following command:

sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector

Verify the service is running:

```bash
sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector
```

Check logs for errors:

```bash
sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f
```

To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows, choose one of the following options:
- Command Prompt or PowerShell as administrator:
```
net stop observiq-otel-collector && net start observiq-otel-collector
```
- Services console:
  1. Press Win+R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
  2. Locate observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector.
  3. Right-click and select Restart.
  4. Verify the service is running:
```
sc query observiq-otel-collector
```
  5. Check logs for errors:
```
type "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\log\collector.log"
```

Configure syslog on a Cisco switch

Sign in to the Cisco Switch.
Escalate privileges:
```
enable
```
Switch to configuration mode:
```
conf t
```
Configure syslog:
```
logging host <BINDPLANE_IP> transport <tcp/udp> port <PORT>
logging source-interface <INTERFACE>
```
- Replace <BINDPLANE_IP> with the Bindplane agent IP address.
- Replace <tcp/udp> with the configured listening protocol (for example, udp).
- Replace <INTERFACE> with the Cisco interface ID.

Set the priority level:

logging trap Informational
logging console Informational
logging severity Informational

Set the syslog facility:
```
logging facility local6
```
Enable timestamps:
```
service timestamps log datetime
```
Save and exit.
Save the configuration to survive restart:
```
copy running-config startup-config
```

UDM mapping table

Log field	UDM mapping	Logic
action	security_result.action_details	Value of this field is derived from the `action` field in the raw log.
day
description	metadata.description	Value of this field is derived from the `description` field in the raw log.
description	security_result.description	Value of this field is derived from the `description` field in the raw log.
destination_ip	target.asset.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `destination_ip` field in the raw log.
destination_ip	target.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `destination_ip` field in the raw log.
destination_port	target.port	Value of this field is derived from the `destination_port` field in the raw log.
device	principal.asset.hostname	Value of this field is derived from the `device` field in the raw log.
device	principal.hostname	Value of this field is derived from the `device` field in the raw log.
device	target.asset.hostname	Value of this field is derived from the `device` field in the raw log.
device	target.hostname	Value of this field is derived from the `device` field in the raw log.
device_ip	principal.asset.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `device_ip` field in the raw log.
device_ip	principal.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `device_ip` field in the raw log.
device_ip	target.asset.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `device_ip` field in the raw log.
device_ip	target.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `device_ip` field in the raw log.
facility	principal.resource.type	Value of this field is derived from the `facility` field in the raw log.
header_data	metadata.product_log_id	Value of this field is derived from the `header_data` field in the raw log.
header_data	target.asset.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `header_data` field in the raw log.
header_data	target.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `header_data` field in the raw log.
hostname	principal.asset.hostname	Value of this field is derived from the `hostname` field in the raw log.
hostname	principal.hostname	Value of this field is derived from the `hostname` field in the raw log.
ip	principal.asset.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `ip` field in the raw log.
ip	principal.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `ip` field in the raw log.
ip_address	principal.asset.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `ip_address` field in the raw log.
ip_address	principal.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `ip_address` field in the raw log.
ip_protocol	network.ip_protocol	Value of this field is derived from the `ip_protocol` field in the raw log.
mac	principal.mac	Value of this field is derived from the `mac` field in the raw log.
mnemonic	network.dhcp.opcode	Value of this field is derived from the `mnemonic` field in the raw log.
mnemonic	metadata.product_event_type	Value of this field is derived from the `mnemonic` field in the raw log.
month
p_ip	principal.asset.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `p_ip` field in the raw log.
p_ip	principal.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `p_ip` field in the raw log.
port	target.port	Value of this field is derived from the `port` field in the raw log.
priority
protocol	network.ip_protocol	Value of this field is derived from the `protocol` field in the raw log.
reason
rule	security_result.rule_id	Value of this field is derived from the `rule` field in the raw log.
sec_result_action	security_result.action	Value of this field is derived from the `sec_result_action` field in the raw log.
severity
source	principal.asset.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `source` field in the raw log.
source	principal.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `source` field in the raw log.
source_ip	network.dhcp.ciaddr	Value of this field is derived from the `source_ip` field in the raw log.
source_ip	principal.asset.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `source_ip` field in the raw log.
source_ip	principal.ip	Value of this field is derived from the `source_ip` field in the raw log.
source_mac	network.dhcp.chaddr	Value of this field is derived from the `source_mac` field in the raw log.
source_port	principal.port	Value of this field is derived from the `source_port` field in the raw log.
summary	security_result.summary	Value of this field is derived from the `summary` field in the raw log.
time
timezone
user	principal.user.userid	Value of this field is derived from the `user` field in the raw log.
user	target.user.userid	Value of this field is derived from the `user` field in the raw log.
when
year
	extensions.auth.type	MACHINE
	metadata.log_type	CISCO_SWITCH
	metadata.vendor_name	Cisco
	metadata.product_name	Cisco Switch
	network.application_protocol	DHCP
	network.dhcp.type	REQUEST
`intermediary_ip`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.intermediary.ip` and `event.idm.read_only_udm.intermediary.asset.ip`	Mapped from changelog
`priority`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`product_log_id`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.metadata.product_log_id`	Mapped from changelog
`_time`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.metadata.collected_timestamp`	Mapped from changelog
`vlan_data`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.intermediary.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`intermediary_ip`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.intermediary.ip`	Mapped from changelog
`intermediary_ip`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.intermediary.asset.ip`	Mapped from changelog
`time_stamp`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.metadata.event_timestamp`	Mapped from changelog
`process_name`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`switch_id`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`log_seq_num`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`log_seq_num_2`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`p_interface`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.resource.name`	Mapped from changelog
`audit_session_id`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.security_result.detection_fields`	Mapped from changelog
`mac`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.mac`	Mapped from changelog
`packets`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.network.sent_packets`	Mapped from changelog
`facility`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.resource.resource_subtype`	Mapped from changelog
`seq_num`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`device_hostname`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.hostname` and `event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.asset.hostname`	Mapped from changelog
`id`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.user.userid`	Mapped from changelog
`seq_num`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.user.userid`	Mapped from changelog
`log_message`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.metadata.description`	Mapped from changelog
`syslog_tag`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`syslog_pri`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`appcat`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`applist`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`dstintf`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`dstintfrole`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`mastersrcmac`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`osname`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`poluuid`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`service`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`srchwvendor`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`srcintf`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`srcintfrole`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`srcserver`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`transport`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`trandisp`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`vd`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`vwlid`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`devid`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.intermediary.asset.product_object_id`	Mapped from changelog
`devname`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.intermediary.hostname`	Mapped from changelog
`logid`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.metadata.product_log_id`	Mapped from changelog
`subtype`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.network.direction`	Mapped from changelog
`proto`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.network.ip_protocol`	Mapped from changelog
`rcvdbyte`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.network.received_bytes`	Mapped from changelog
`sentbyte`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.network.sent_bytes`	Mapped from changelog
`sentpkt`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.network.sent_packets`	Mapped from changelog
`duration`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.network.session_duration.seconds`	Mapped from changelog
`sessionid`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.network.session_id`	Mapped from changelog
`srcname`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.asset.hostname`, `event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.hostname`	Mapped from changelog
`srcip`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.asset.ip`, `event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.ip`	Mapped from changelog
`srcmac`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.asset.mac`, `event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.mac`	Mapped from changelog
`osname`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.asset.platform_software.platform`	Mapped from changelog
`srcswversion`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.asset.platform_software.platform_version`	Mapped from changelog
`srccountry`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.location.country_or_region`	Mapped from changelog
`transip`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.nat_ip`	Mapped from changelog
`srcport`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.port`	Mapped from changelog
`action`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.security_result.action`	Mapped from changelog
`policyid`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.security_result.rule_id`	Mapped from changelog
`policyname`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.security_result.rule_name`	Mapped from changelog
`policytype`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.security_result.rule_type`	Mapped from changelog
`level`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.security_result.severity`	Mapped from changelog
`action`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.security_result.summary`	Mapped from changelog
`dstip`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.asset.ip`, `event.idm.read_only_udm.target.ip`	Mapped from changelog
`dstcountry`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.location.country_or_region`	Mapped from changelog
`dstport`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.port`	Mapped from changelog
`device`	`principle.hostname`	Mapped from changelog
`username3`	`principal.user.userid`	Mapped from changelog
`login_status`	`security_result.summary`	Mapped from changelog
`ecs.version`	`metadata.product_version`	Mapped from changelog
`fileset.name", "flow.locality", "flow.id", "input.type", "netflow.exporter.source_id", and "netflow.exporter.uptime_millis`	`additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`network.transport`	`network.ip_protocol`	Mapped from changelog
`netflow.post_nat_source_ipv4_address`	`principal.ip`	Mapped from changelog
`netflow.source_transport_port`	`principal.port`	Mapped from changelog
`network.direction`	`network.direction`	Mapped from changelog
`intermediary_ip`	`intermediary.ip`	Mapped from changelog
`intermediary_hostname`	`intermediary.hostname`	Mapped from changelog
`principal_host`	`principal.hostname`	Mapped from changelog
`src_mac`	`principal.mac`	Mapped from changelog
`eventSummary`	`metadata.product_event_type`	Mapped from changelog
`error_msg`	`security_result.detection_fields`	Mapped from changelog
`pid`	`principal.process.pid`	Mapped from changelog
`srcPort`	`principal.port`	Mapped from changelog
`srcUser`	`principal.user.userid`	Mapped from changelog
`username1`	`target.user.userid`	Mapped from changelog
`command`	`target.process.command_line`	Mapped from changelog
`PWD`	`target.process.file.full_path`	Mapped from changelog
`node_id", "cluster_id", "exception", "UniqueId", and "app_id`	`additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`DEVICE`	`principal.mac`	Mapped from changelog
`SRC`	`principal.ip`	Mapped from changelog
`SPT`	`principal.port`	Mapped from changelog
`DST`	`target.ip`	Mapped from changelog
`DPT`	`target.port`	Mapped from changelog
`ID`	`network.session_id`	Mapped from changelog
`LEN`	`network.session_duration.seconds`	Mapped from changelog
`PROTO`	`network.ip_protocol`	Mapped from changelog
`IN", "OUT", "PHYSIN", "WINDOW", "RES, "TOS", "PREC", "TTL" ,"URGP", "MAC", "radio", "vap", "auth_type", "sugg_band", "ssid_id", "ssid_profile_name" and "protocol`	`additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`client_mac`	`principal.mac`	Mapped from changelog
`aid`	`network.session_id`	Mapped from changelog
`rssi`	`intermediary.asset.product_object_id`	Mapped from changelog
`channel`	`security_result.detection_fields`	Mapped from changelog
`eventSummary", "dhcp_ip", "client_mac", "aid" and "ip_src`	`metadata.product_event_type`	Mapped from changelog
`mac", "src", "sport", "dst", "dport", "action", "protocol", "url" and "signature`	`principal.mac`	Mapped from changelog
`metadata.event_type" and "extensions.auth.type`	`USER_LOGIN`	Mapped from changelog
`eventSummary", "aid", "rssi", "channel", "last_known_client_ip" and "event_type`	`security_result.summary`	Mapped from changelog
`pid`	`target.process.pid`	Mapped from changelog
`app_name`	`target.application`	Mapped from changelog

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

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